


Peppermint

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: America, Autumn, Bottom Louis, Depression, Ice Skater Louis, LGBTQ Themes, Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, New York City, Peppermint, Stars on Ice, Top Harry, Workaholic, cinnamon roll louis, larry - Freeform, midly based off of yuri on ice but not really, they share that really, ziam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-02 07:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8655397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "It's so cold, yet you're so warm." Harry breathed as his fingers traced the boy's jaw.Louis smiled and pulled away from him. "Like peppermint?"Where as Louis is a professional figure skater and Harry is an ordinary kid new to the city. or au where Harry wants to fuck Louis on ice.





	1. cocoa

**Author's Note:**

> hello! before you ask, yes this fic was loosely inspired by the anime Yuri!!! on Ice. what can I say Victuri is what i live for. anyways, this is also being published on wattpad, but I assumed that it would get more spotlight, so you'd say? idk i still think wattpad is rigged.

"I'm not so sure about this anymore." The curly haired man muttered underneath his breath.

He stood in front of a large window, showing the view of, well, other buildings. Down below showcased the streets, full of honking vehicles, and if they were lucky, sirens weren't heard for an hour. Although, they were lucky due to the fact that they lived on the sixth floor of the building.

"What are you not sure about?" A girl asked as she walked in carrying in a cardboard box full of toiletries. "We got a good deal on this apartment. Usually, they run for quite a lot for a two bedroom. I like it here."

The man shrugged his shoulders, turning around to the girl. "I don't know, Gem. What about Mum? We moved so far away from her, and we don't really have that much money. I don't even have a job."

Gem rolled her eyes and put the box down on the hardwood floors. "Mum has Robin, plus my job will help us visit once in awhile. And hey, after we finish unpacking, we can go job hunting for you."

"The only people we know in this city is each other. This is crazy, why did I ever agree to this?"

"Harry, just shut up and help me bring stuff in." She sighed. "I'm positive that this move was the best for us. You just may not see it yet."

-

The sounds of the street down below is what woke the curly-haired man the next morning. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night. It was as if the city never sleeps; the cars down below honking at four in the morning, the ambulances speeding down the road, and the loud music blaring from the apartment next to theirs.

His bed wasn't quite together yet, which made the man feel disoriented. Actually, he felt disoriented for two reasons: his bed frame wasn't together and sleeping in an unfamiliar place was terrifying. The man let out a long sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He cursed at himself for being such a light sleeper.

Harry then rubbed his eyes and got up from bed. He didn't bother to change clothes as he walked into the living room area. Gemma sat on the sofa with her phone in her hand. She looked up at Harry as he walked in and stood in front of her. His eyes felt heavy and his head was spinning. He wondered if he looked as bad as he felt.

"Exhausted," He told her, "I couldn't get to sleep."

She nodded and frowned. "I forget that noise keeps you up. Maybe we should go to the store today and buy some earplugs for you. What do you think?"

"Food too, I'm starving."

Gemma laughed placed her phone down. "Okay, why don't you go wash up and then we'll go eat something. I'm going to try and find a cheap cafe around."

The man smiled and walked back into his room. His furniture was unorganized: his mattress against the wall, his dresser diagonally placed, and his suitcases against the wall. Harry sighed at the mess and knelt down to his suitcases, taking out a white button down and a pair of skinny jeans.

He quickly got dressed and now stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom. His hair was messy, and frankly, he didn't want to do anything with it. Harry bit on his lip, wondering what to do with it. A bun would give him a headache, and leaving it as it was would annoying him. Really, the issue was the top of his head, where his hair decided to stick up.

With a sigh, Harry walked back into his room, praying he at least, brought a hat.

"Harry, hurry up," Gemma shouted from the other room, "I found this cute cafe nearby. It's called Sweet Leaf."

The man cracked a smile as he pulled out his brown fedora. "Be right there, hang on."

He stood up and walked into the living area and showed off his outfit to Gemma. She raised her eyebrows and whistled at him. He chuckled and began to pop his fingers.

"Someone looks hot," She grinned, "More of a LA look, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

Harry shrugged, "New York will just have to tolerate my lack of fashion."

Gemma rolled her eyes and stood up from the sofa. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."

-

"I'm really excited," Gemma told Harry as she took a bite of her sandwich. "I can't believe I even got this job, like, I've been doing this since I was seventeen. I'm twenty-five now, this is so crazy."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Since you were seventeen? I thought you were too interested in boys at that age. I didn't see any progress made then."

Gemma playfully shoved him. "I had a few boyfriends, so what? Remember when you had a girlfriend? I think she was your first kiss, wasn't she? Does she even know you're gay now?"

"Okay, okay, enough," Harry laughed, "And no, I don't think she knows. Let's keep it that way, spare her."

The two laughed to themselves and continued into silence. They were sat in the Sweet Leaf cafe. It was a cute place, Harry thought. Although it was cheap, the food looked really good - especially New York.

Before coming to New York, Harry was warned that the food in the city was overpriced and it would be extremely hard to live like they had in England. And really, he thought that it would be worse that it actually is. The rent was awful, but with Gemma's new job, they had gotten a good deal.

Besides, Harry still needed to get a job.

He sighed and looked back at the counter. He had ordered a coffee and it was taking longer than he expected. Not that he was complaining, Harry was just pretty tired and needed caffeine to wake himself up.

"Hey, Harry," Gemma said, snapping him out of his trance. "I was looking at the job listings, and there's a job hiring where you do drug tests."

Harry grimaced and shook his head. "No thanks, I'd rather not handle urine all day."

She laughed and continued to scroll on her phone. "Hey, there's a daycare job! You love children, right? Oh, and there's one for a veterinary assistance. Children or animals?"

Before Harry could speak, a woman came by and placed his drink down. "Ah, so sorry it took so long. Here you are."

"No worries, thank you." He told her. She smiled at him and walked away. "I like animals more, mostly because I don't think I can take care of rich children. Too much frustration, I assume."

Gemma nodded, 'I get it, especially in New York."

Harry sighed and picked up his drink, he checked the receipt. "Wait, I didn't order hot chocolate. Ah, I got the wrong order."

"Go take it back?" Gemma furrowed her eyebrows, looking back at her phone. "Not a difficult problem, Harry."

He frowned, looking at the cup, and turned his head to see if anyone hadn't gotten their order yet. Unfortunately, no one stuck out to him. Harry just slouched in his seat and looked at Gemma with a frown.

"I don't want to bother the girl," Harry whined, "She looked like she was having a bad day. I don't want to make her feel bad."

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Aren't you having a bad day too? You need caffeine before you collapse."

With a sigh, he looked down at the table and played with the rings around his fingers. Harry didn't want to bother anyone. Besides, it was just a drink. He could easily buy the stuff for coffee when Gemma and him go to the market. It wasn't a big deal, really.

"Um, excuse me," A sweet voice squeaked, snapping Harry out of his trance. When he looked up, his eyes landed on a boy with brown feathered hair, and blue eyes that crinkled at the corners. To say he was cute, was too little of a compliment. He was gorgeous. "Did you by chance order a coffee? I received the wrong order."

Harry then perked up, a smile forming on his face. "Did you order a hot chocolate? As much as I do love the drink, I'd rather have caffeine."

The boy grinned, "And as much as I hate coffee, I'll gladly give this back to you. Only in exchange for my hot cocoa, of course."

"I think we've got a deal." Harry laughed and the two exchange drinks. "My name is Harry, and yours?"

"Louis," He smiled and brought a hand to sweep the hair out of his eyes, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Harry. Unfortunately, I have to leave. Hopefully we won't have the wrong order again, yeah?"

The curly-haired man grinned. "Yeah, hopefully. Nice to meet you, Louis."

With a smile, the pretty boy, named Louis, left the curly-haired boy. With a strut in his walk and a shake in his hips, Harry couldn't stop watching the boy. His eyes fixated on the boy until the window could not reach the petite body anymore. Harry bit on his lip, wondering if he'd ever see that gorgeous being again. He hoped inside his head that possibly, he could get another glimpse.

Harry smiled and turned his head towards Gemma, who had a suggestive look on her face. She took a sip of her tea and looked back at the door.

"We've been moved into the city for not even twenty-four hours, and you've already gone gushing on a guy who had the wrong order. Christ, you are the definition of hopeless romantic." She scoffed.

The man laughed and shook his head. "You got your job, let me see these New Yorkers, alright? Plus, that guy was gorgeous, like," He smiled and placed his hands on his cheeks, "He was the cutest guy I've seen since... since..."

"Nick?"

"Yeah," Harry frowned and shook his head, "Anyways, let's go get some groceries. I think I need sleep."

Gemma rolled her eyes. "You definitely need sleep."

-

After the two had arrived back to their apartment, they had put the groceries up and began to start unpacking things. It was a lengthy process, and by the time Gemma started whining to start dinner, they decided to stop. Their bedrooms were still a mess, and their bathroom and kitchen were lacking, but Harry figured that he could finish the job while Gemma went to work.

Harry sat on the sofa in their living room, eating the soup he had prepared for him and his sister. He was scrolling through pictures on his phone, due to not having a television set up yet. The photos on his phone were all taken in England; only one had been taken here in New York: where his sister was excitedly standing in front of Little Neck Bay.

"Harry, I'm worried." Gemma whined as she came out of the bathroom. She looked as if she just gotten out of the shower, with a towel on top of her head. "What if they don't like me? And I'm forced to find another job? We wouldn't survive."

The man furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't say that, Gem. They're going to like you, I promise. I mean, they invited you all the way here. New York City, Gemma."

She shrugged and sat down beside Harry. "What are you doing? Looking at pictures?"

"Yeah, I'm already homesick. It's just weird moving to a whole different country. It doesn't feel right, I don't think I can get used to it. Like, buying things is strange: there's a hidden tax you don't see until you get to the cash register, and everything is so much bigger. We're going to get fat here, Gem." Harry rambled, scrolling through more pictures. "We don't even have service on our cellphones. Thankfully our apartment has WiFi."

Gemma sighed, "Stop worrying, that's all you do. Come on, let's enjoy this, alright? I mean, we're here in America, in New York City for Christ's sake! We're here because we're supposed to be here. There's always a reason behind everything. So no more whining, and let's enjoy ourselves, because there's no going back at this point."

Harry frowned. "I just miss-"

"You miss Nick," She interjected, "You wanna know why I chose you to go with me? I chose you over my best friend, because I wanted you to get over that stupid guy. He hurt you, Harry. You keep going back to him and breaking your heart. Seeing you do that to yourself is hurting everyone around you as well."

"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

Gemma reached up and pulled the towel off of her head. She let out a breath and stood up, taking a handful of her hair. "I'm going to go to bed and pray that my hair dries before morning. Are you going to be okay tomorrow?"

Harry nodded and put down his phone. "Yeah, I'll just finish unpacking everything. Maybe take a walk. How long is your shift?"

"It depends," She sighed, "It could be a couple of hours or up to six. I'll be home for dinner, I'm sure of that. Anyways, goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight Gemma."  


	2. icy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter, sorry! but like christmas is coming up and i'm so ready.

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling great. He had gotten over ten hours of sleep and felt completely relaxed. Gemma had left for work a couple of hours ago, leaving Harry alone in the apartment. He wasn't going to lie, the thought of staying in a new place alone was terrifying.

He sat up from his bed, running a hand through his long hair and walked to his bathroom to take a quick shower. Harry thought back to the gorgeous man he saw in the cafe. Louis, his name was, or crinkled-eyes in Harry's mind. It was such a cute feature, Harry thought. It was a sign of pure happiness.

"Maybe I'll go back to the cafe today." Harry whispered to himself as he lathered his body with soap. "I'll just get another coffee and see if he's there again."

After getting out of the shower, Harry got dressed into a jumper and threw his hair into a man bun. He grabbed his keys and before he knew it, he was walking to the little cafe. Truthfully, Harry didn't know why he had to go back to see the Louis kid. Christ, he even looked like a kid. Harry shook his head, reminding himself that he just needed a bite to eat. Possibly fill out a job application there. If that doesn't work out, he could look at job listings.

The man sighed and stopped in his tracks. He was literally insane, an insane hopeless romantic. What would Nick think of him? He would probably call Harry desperate. Which, he was to be honest. Here he was, going to the cafe where he saw one cute boy, and his entire demeanor has changed.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing to walk down the sidewalk to the cafe. The man bit down on his lip, thinking to himself: he wasn't going to let another cute boy change him again.

-

"Hot cocoa?"

Harry looked up, smiling at the same girl as yesterday. "Yes, thank you. You're doing a wonderful job."

She blushed, a smile plastered on her face. "Thank you, yesterday was rough. An office group came in right before you had, so that's why it took so long to get your coffee yesterday."

"No, you're fine. I wasn't in a rush." Harry told her, "By any chance, is there a job opening here?'

"Ah, no, I'm sorry. We just hired this new girl today, and she got the last spot we had. It would have been lovely to work with you." She grinned, "Anyways, I have to get back to work. See you another time, I hope?"

Harry nodded at her, turning back to his table. He sat alone, with his hot cocoa in front of him and his phone in hand. With a sigh, he began to scroll on the website. He found the one Gemma was talking about yesterday, the veterinary assistant. Before he could click on the call button, a voice startled him.

"Well, look who it is," Harry looked up at the person in beside him. The same cute boy as yesterday smiled down at him. "Why do I have the feeling you're stalking me? I don't blame you, who could resist this?"

Harry shook his head as Louis sat down in front of him, placing his cup of hot cocoa in front of him. "I thought Yorkers were supposed to be rude."

Louis grinned, "I'm not a Yorker, though. Although, I guess my accent is fading. I'm from England, can't you tell? Your accent proves that you are also from the land of hope and glory, or so they say."

"I just moved here," Harry told him, scratching the back of his head. "It's all pretty new, and I'm still looking for a job. You know, rent is pretty shit here. I feel bad for my sister, she's currently paying it." He sighed and took a sip out of his drink. "America is hard."

The boy laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "No, New York is hard. America is quite easy, especially if you live somewhere that's not New York, or California. You see, finding a job around here isn't the hardest part, it's giving up your entire paycheck to rent. This is why it's so uncommon to live by yourself in the city. You'd have to be super rich."

"I just wish I could find _something_ ," Harry muttered, "Where do you work?"

Louis crinkled his nose, and looked away as if he were thinking. "It's not really a job, per se, I'm a sportsman? Honestly, I don't know what to call myself. It pays, though." He checked his watch and sighed to himself. He stood up from the chair in front of Harry, and took his cocoa. "Ah, I've really got to go. Hey, while you're job searching, I heard the ice rink was needing full time employees."

Harry smiled at him, "I'll think about it. See you later?"

"I hope so," Crinkled eyes grinned at him and then he was gone.

-

The man sighed to himself when he finally reached the ice skating rink. There were a few cars parked outside, but that didn't mean that no one was here. Everyone in New York mostly walked everywhere they could. Harry took in a deep breath before walking inside the building. Immediately, he was shivering at the temperature. It was barely autumn, so Harry didn't think to wear a jacket. He should have known that the _ice rink_ would be cold.

He shook his head and found the front desk. A man was working; he had a beanie on, with a few strands of blonde hair sticking out, and a jacket - to which, Harry should have worn himself. When the man walked up to the counter, the blonde boy turned around and gave him a grin.

"Hello, are you here to skate?" His voice was thick, "We're currently closed for practice, for the professional figure skaters."

Harry smiled, shaking his head no. "I heard you guys were hiring? I figured it was worth a shot."

"Oh, thank God, I was tired of working every second of my life." Blonde boy told him, slipping an application over the counter. "I hope they hire you, do you know how tired I am?"

"Very tired?" The man laughed. "Is it fun to work here?"

Blonde boy nodded. "Yeah, it's great. Just not so great when you finally get some decent sleep, and they call you in. Do you have any felonies?"

Harry shakes his head. "Uh, no, but I'm new to America?"

"That's fine, I moved here from Ireland a few years back. My names Niall, what about you?"

"Harry Styles, I just moved here fully yesterday. Do you think I'll get the job?" He asked.

Niall shrugged his shoulders. "I hope so. Hey, why don't you go over there and fill out the application? The boss comes back later today, and I'll give him it, and beg on my hands and knees, alright?'

Harry grinned and took the paper. "Alright,"

He walked over to the tables Niall pointed at and sat down. Next to the tables was a window, showing all the skaters on the ice. Niall was not lying when he said that professionals were on the rink. They spun around, landing twirls, that Harry knew that he would never be capable of doing. Harry smiled to himself, and as he was about to turn his head back, he saw the familiar petite boy.

"What?" Harry furrowed his eyes and looked closer. "Niall, could you come here for a second?"

The blonde boy walked over to where he sat, a towel in his hand. "Question about the application?"

"No," He shook his head, "You said only professionals were skating, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, remembering back to the cafe. Louis told him that he didn't really work, that he was more of sportsman. This didn't look like a sportsman, he looked too dainty in those skates. Harry remembered when he said that the ice rink was hiring, and that he hoped to see the man again.

"That little shit." Harry whispered.

"Who? What's going on?" Niall furrowed his eyebrows.

The man pointed to the familiar crinkle-eyed boy, who was stretching his leg up to his head. "Do you know who he is?"

Niall squinted his eyes, and then grinned. "Yeah, that's Louis. Such a good lad, always coming into practice a few hours early, damn perfectionist."

Harry shook his head. "Little shit."


	3. mesmerizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more episode of Yuri on Ice, i am shOOK.

After finishing up the application, Harry decided to stay and watch the skaters practice. By skaters, he meant only Louis. He was mesmerized by the way Louis glided on the ice. The way his body arched, twirled, and looked graceful. It had been awhile that he stayed, because Niall began closing up as the skaters began getting off the ice.

Harry gasped slightly when he realized Louis would see him, and would know that Harry had been watching. "Niall? Where's the restroom? I - I need to go."

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow, and pointed to behind him. "Right there? Hey, are you going to stay? The boss will be here soon, and you can talk to him if you'd like."

"Y-yeah, I'll stay. Be right back."

He stood up from the chair and bolted to the restroom, not wanting to be seen by Louis. A sigh of relief slipped passed his lips when he got into the stall. Harry ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the seat, pulling out his phone. He hadn't checked if there was any WiFi to the building, and he needed to tell Gemma where he was at.

Thankfully, there was a connection. When his phone connected, text messages kept running across the screen. Harry mentally cursed to himself, and clicked on Gemma's name. Several messages wondering where he was at, and if he wanted dinner. Was it really that late? It was nine in the evening. Harry bit down on his lip, sending a text.

_Sorry, Gem xx was applying for jobs and got caught up. Be home soon xx._

"Louis, I don't particularly _care_ if you want to do that jump. We're trying to play it safe for this season. Remember last year when you twisted your ankle trying to do that exact same jump?" A voice hissed, the door shutting behind them.

"How has playing it safe got anyone to the championships?" The familiar sweet voice scoffed. "Look, last year is in the past. I can do it, I just need to practice it more."

A boom echoed through the bathroom. "You can barely make the jump in practice, it's not going to happen."

Louis scoffed and the sink began to run. "Okay, whatever." The bathroom door opened again, then slamming shut. "I know you care about me, but you can't keep babying me around like this."

Harry bit down on his lip, trying not to make any noise at all. He was confused, and upset that someone was yelling at crinkle-eyes. Louis then sighed, and the door opened, and closed again. The man let out a breath, running a hand through his unruly hair, looking back at his phone to check his texts.

-

When the coast was clear, Harry stepped out of the bathroom, and saw Niall talking to a man not much older than him. He had brown hair, that swept up, and facial hair that suited him. The two sat at a table, and sitting with them was no other than, Louis. Before Harry could go back into the restroom again, Niall called out his name.

"Harry! There he is, Liam. He wanted to apply for the job."

The man mentally cursed to himself, feeling the embarrassment washing over him. Everyone turned around to face him, including Louis. He smiled softly and began walking over to the three. Harry smiled, looking away from Louis' gaze, mentally dying inside.

"Harry, you actually came." Louis chuckled, "Didn't think you'd want to work here."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't know you were a figure skater, either."

The boy laughed, and Harry sat down at the table beside Louis. Liam gave him a small smile as he looked over the application while Niall had his hand in a pleading position.

"Well, your application looks good. Do you have a number we can reach you with?" Liam asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I just moved here. Sorry, I didn't think about that."

Liam gave him a smile. "No worries, do you think you could come in early tomorrow, say around nine? Specifically with warmer clothes than you're wearing now."

"Course, sorry. I've never been in an ice rink before, so I didn't know. Will Niall be there tomorrow?"

"I will be," Louis grinned at him, "I need to practice some jumps."

Liam chuckled, and set down the application. "No, I will be there to train you. I don't think Niall is capable enough to train someone."

Niall rolled his eyes. "Good, I didn't want to come in early anyways."

"Uh, do you know how to skate? You said you've never been in an ice rink before." Liam asked, scratching the back of his head. "We really need people to be able to get on the ice in case of an emergency, and it's against the rules to walk on the ice."

Harry bit on his lip and looked away. "I didn't think of that either, ugh, sorry. If it's anything like roller skating, then I can skate."

"Not really, but kinda." Louis started, "How about you come in at eight, and I can show you how? It requires a lot more balance."

Harry nodded. "Okay, but you'll need to have a lot of patience."

Louis grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Great! How about we meet up at the cafe say around fifteen minutes beforehand. It's not a long walk."

"Sure," The man smiled.

It was the first out of a long time that Harry felt genuinely happy.

-

"Where the hell have you been?" Gemma asked once Harry walked through the door.

He grinned, walking passed her to plop on the sofa. Louis was on his mind, his smile, his crystal blue eyes, everything about him. Harry just had met him yesterday, but Christ, he was already infatuated with the boy.

"Hello, are you going talk to me?" She crossed her arms.

Harry flashed her a smile. "You'll never believe what just happened. I can barely believe it, honestly. I'm floating on cloud nine."

Gemma raised an eyebrow. "Try me, what happened?"

"I met Louis again at the cafe; he's the boy who I got the wrong order with, remember?" The man closed his eyes, his smile never fading. "Well, he told me try going to the ice rink for a job, that they were hiring. Turns out, Louis is a professional figure skater, and I just got a job. Louis is taking me to the rink tomorrow at eight in morning, to learn how to skate."

"Wait," Gemma furrowed her eyebrows, "You got a job at an ice rink, but you don't know how to skate?"

Harry frowned, "I'm glad that's all you got out of that." He stood up from the sofa, stretching out his arms, and gave Gemma a hug. "I'm so happy, you don't understand. Thank you for taking me to New York with you."

She hugged him back. "It took you one day to get over your hatred for America?"

"Maybe, but I'm still mad about the hidden tax." He mumbled and pulled away from the hug. "Anyways, how was my favorite model's first day of work?"

She shrugged. "It was good. We did several shots, and time got ahead of us as well, so I didn't get home until six in the evening. Then I realized you weren't home, and I got worried, because you hate going outside."

"I was out, I made friends, and I got a job. You should be proud."

"I'm very proud," Gemma laughed. "So, when are you going to bring a friend back here? I want to meet them sometime soon."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, letting out a yawn. "I will when we having working cellphones, and our apartment doesn't look like we just moved in."

"Solid point."


	4. warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter I know. ;( sorry but anyways let's get back to fanfic

"Shit!" Harry held onto the railing of the ice rink. His legs were wobbling and feet kept sliding. "I can't do it, oh god. This is nothing like rollerblading!"

Louis laughed as he slid slowly towards Harry. "Try putting your feet like this, instead of straight. It should help your balance."

The man looked down at Louis' feet, how they were at angle, pointed towards each other. Harry sighed and pulled himself up, putting his feet in the same position as Louis. He composed himself and let go of the railing, letting his skates glide across the ice. With a breath, he closed his eyes and started to move his feet.

"I'm going to die." Harry muttered, opening his eyes to look at Louis.

The boy grinned at him and skated backwards. "You're doing good. Look, you're moving. Most people don't attempt to start moving their first time."

"Because it's my job," He scoffed and tried to move faster. "Oh, fuck-"

He began to fall, but Louis caught a hold of his arm and held him up. It was almost embarrassing; Louis was small and Harry was tall, he should be the one helping Louis. With a sheepish smile, Harry regained his balance and began making small movements without any help.

There wasn't anyone at the rink, except for Louis and Harry. The rink opened at nine, whereas they were there at eight. Knowing a professional had its perks, and to be fair, his boss did want him to learn how to skate before this week was up.

"How long have you known how to skate?" Harry suddenly asked.

Louis scrunches his nose as his body slumps. "I'd say since I was seven? When I lived in England, my mum decided to sign me up for it, as a daycare, really. She was a single mum, so she didn't have time to watch me at her two jobs."

"Wow," The man says, "does she live here in New York?"

"No, I wish she did. I came here a few years back after I graduated high school. There were much more opportunities with my ice skating career than back in England."

Harry nodded, and tried to stand up straight, which resulted in him almost falling back. "Why is this so hard? Christ, I'm never going to get the hang of it."

Louis snorted and returned to Harry's side. "Keep your knees bent, you dork. You'll mess up your balance that way."

"You've known how to skate since you were seven, don't talk to me right now."

"That means I have enough experience to tell you what you're doing wrong." Crinkle eyes told him, grabbing onto his hand. "Here, I'm going to skate, and you can hold onto me."

He began to skate backwards, occasionally looking back to see if he was going to hit anything. His speed began to pick up, and he was grinning at Harry's terrified expression. As Louis looked back the next time, he released himself from Harry's grip, letting him loose. He skated next to Harry, a smile on his face.

Harry held his arms out to help his balance. "Louis, what the fuck? I'm going to die!"

"Calm down, make these motions with your feet." Crinkle eyes told him, as he swept his feet.

The man bit down on his lip and began to swipe his feet the same way as Louis was. He got caught up with trying to pay attention to his feet, he couldn't hear the warnings from Louis. Before Harry knew it, he collided with the wall of the ice rink, sending him right on his bum. He groaned, feeling the ice seep through his sweatpants.

Louis was giggling when he approached the man. "Maybe we should practice tomorrow as well. I don't think you have this turning thing down."

Harry looked up at him, a frown on his face. "My bum is cold."

"Come on, I'll help you up."

-

"It's cold," Harry said, as he ate his granola bar. "How do you put up with it all day?"

Louis shrugged, sipping on his hot cocoa. "Well, for one: I'm not wearing flimsy clothing like you are."

The man looked down at his outfit and frowned. A black jacket with grey sweatpants. He figured this would be enough for the ice rink, but apparently not. Harry sighed and took a sip of his coffee. They had both went to Sweet Leaf on Harry's lunch break, and decided to come back to drink their warm beverages.

"I figured this would have been okay."

Crinkle eyes gave him a warm smile. "Love, that would have been okay if you were here for a couple of hours. You're here for an entire shift. You need to be wearing more heavy duty clothes."

Harry nodded and put his hands into his pocket. "Are you going to stay here all day?"

During Harry's training, Louis was on the rink, doing twirls and reaching speeds that Harry would never be able to reach. Liam had been teaching the man how to clean the skates properly, but Louis had been on his mind. How graceful he looked while on the ice.

"No, we don't have practices on Saturday. I'm probably going to leave in a bit, when Liam takes his break." Louis told him.

"When Liam takes his break?"

The boy nodded, taking another sip of his cocoa. "Yeah, Liam's my roommate, plus he has a car. How else did you think I got special privileges?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I figured they went easy on you, since you're a professional. Your job pretty much revolves around skating."

"Liam hates the other professionals." He laughed. "Which, I don't blame him. They're a bunch of twats."

"Why? What do they do?" The man asked.

"They're just," Louis paused and looked away. "Very New Yorker, like. Rude, expectant, and snobby. They're a bunch of rich white kids who are used to getting what they want, and when they don't, it's just a bitch fest."

"Lou," Liam called out, and he began to walk towards their table with keys in his hand. "Are you ready to go? Harry, I hope you don't mind holding down the fort while I'm gone. It won't be more than thirty minutes, if the traffic is calm."

Louis nodded and stood up. "Can I order pizza when I get home?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Do you think Simon would agree to your pizza habits? We've already had pizza this month, plus you're drinking hot cocoa everyday."

"Simon doesn't have to know." He rolled his eyes.

"No, I'll pick up something healthier on the way home after work. Anyways, Harry, if anything happens, just call my number. I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye Harry!" Louis yelled as the two walked out of the rink.

Harry smiled as he watched the two leave. "Bye gorgeous,"

-

When Harry returned to his flat after work, he was dead. He collapsed onto the sofa and let his eyes drift off. The rest of his shift included giving children skates, watching people skate while cleaning the skates, and closing up the rink.

It was boring with the ball of sunshine there. Liam had came back from his shift, telling Harry how much of a mess Louis was. Apparently, back at his flat, Louis had magazines scattered everywhere, and their dishes were piled high, since it was the smaller's turn. Harry laughed at the thought of Louis being such a slob.

As Harry was about to fall asleep, the door opened as Gemma came back. She had bags in her hand, and a dim look on her face. Harry sat up on the sofa, running a hand through his curls. Gemma put the bags on the counter, and sighed.

"Today was so tiring." She groaned.

"What's all that?" Harry asked her.

Gemma rummaged through the bags, and pulled out some clothes. "I went to go buy some warmer clothes since autumn is falling on us. All I have are light material clothes, and I'm not about to go kill myself while walking to my job everyday."

Harry chuckled and laid back on the sofa. "I need to buy some warmer clothes too. The ice rink is cold, believe it or not."

"You're such a dork, why didn't you dress warmer?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I wouldn't be _that_ cold, since I wasn't going to be on the ice for the most part of my shift, but it's okay."

"When's your next day off? You could go buy some clothes for work then." Gemma told him.

"With what money, Gem? I got a job to get money. For these two weeks, I'll just suffer and wait to get enough money to not suffer."

She laughed and walked over to the sofa, pushing Harry's legs away so she could sit down. "Tomorrow, I was thinking about putting service on our phones. I still have enough money from the move to get us situated. So, leave your phone here tomorrow."

"Yay," Harry mimicked, "now we can finally talk to mum, and she can tell us how stupid this move was, can't wait."

Gemma rolled her eyes and grinned. "I know she's not happy with us, at the moment, but she can get over it. We are adults."

"Sure we are."

"The most adulty-adults there are."


	5. cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> terrible jokes made by me you're welcome. also it is winter break so more gay fanfic yay

Days were passing by now, with Louis teaching Harry how to skate in the mornings, and now running the rink by himself, and occasionally with Niall. The autumn weather kept getting cooler, but thankfully, Harry bought warmer clothing with his first paycheck. Gemma had been working more hours, with several shoots, and she was invited to travel to Boston for the weekend.

Thankfully, Harry was more stable to be home by himself. Plus, his cellphone had service now, so he could check in on her. Speaking of his phone, he talked to his mum after finally getting service. She was glad that the two could finally contact her at a more reasonable time, and that she wished they had stayed with her back home.

"All I want for Christmas, is you." Harry sang as he wiggled his body. He was cleaning the skates and listening to the music playing above.

Niall went home a few hours ago, so Harry was finishing up the shift as the pros practiced. Since Harry was fully trained now, he was able to work alone - to which he didn't mind. Louis was on the rink with his coach, Simon. Harry didn't see much of Simon, but Louis complained frequently to make up for it.

His phone then began to vibrate in his jeans, causing him to pause his cleaning. He set down the skates and pulled his phone out to see that Gemma was calling him. Harry sighed and answered the phone.

"I'm at work, Gem. Couldn't this have waited until after I got off?" He told her, crossing his arms.

"Hey dork," She scoffed, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm staying at a friend's place tonight. You'll probably see me tomorrow for a little bit until I fly over to Boston."

Harry frowned and his shoulders dropped. "We planned a movie night before you'd leave." He sighed and looked over at the clock. "You owe me, Gem."

Gemma laughed and let out a breath. "I'll make it up to you, alright? Anyways, I have to go. Be safe getting home, and remember to eat something."

"See you later," Harry told her and hung up.

He was upset that he'd be home alone tonight, since he was planning to watch a movie that Louis recomended. Gemma said that she would watch it with him, since thursdays were their movie nights. They would order pizza, eat chocolate, and cuddle up on the sofa together. Honestly, it was such a stress relief, and now Harry had to do it alone. He shook his head and looked back at all of the skates. Everything seemed clean enough.

"Christ, Simon, you need to trust me." Louis called out as he exited the rink. Simon followed after him, his face turning red. "I can do it, if you have the slightest faith in me."

The older man let out scoff. "I'd have faith if you could nail it every single during practice, but you can't, Louis."

Louis shook his head and sat on one of the tables, slinging his bag beside him. "I can do it, I know I can. When contest rolls around, taking it safe gets you nowhere."

"When you do take risks, and you fail them, you won't be close to winning gold." Simon told him, sighing. "Listen, on saturday, we're practicing the show. If you can prove to me that you can do it, I'll let you put it in, okay?"

The smaller nodded and pulled out his cellphone. Simon looked down at the boy once more and walked out of the building as the other skaters began leaving the rink. Louis sat at the table, as the others passed by, to which no one had acknowledged his presence. Harry didn't know why that ignited a fire in his chest, to see the other skaters act like he wasn't there. The man tightened his jaw and walked over to the boy, who stared blankly at his phone.

"How was practice?" Harry asked as he sat across from Louis.

The smaller shrugged his shoulders. "The same as always, nothing important."

"Well, is everything going okay? When is your contest? I'm not really sure how this works."

Louis smiled and closed his eyes. "Competition is in February. I think this year, it's in Illinois. Right now, I've got to get the show under control for competitions before that. I know it, but it's just the little things."

Harry nodded. "So, are there any in New York? I'd like to see you perform."

"Yeah," He laughed. "There's one in three weeks."

"Three weeks? That's not nearly enough time!" The man's eyes widened. "Oh god, do you think Liam will give me the day off?"

Louis rolled his eyes and smiled. "When the city has competition, Liam closes for the day and they go see all of the performances. Don't worry, you'll be able to see me in all my leotard glory."

They laughed together as everyone left the building, leaving them alone. On the ice, was the maintenance guy, cleaning the ice. Harry always wondered how that worked, the ice returning to its original form.

"These skates are killing my feet." Louis sighed as he took off the shoes.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Do you bring regular shoes to wear?"

The boy chuckled and shook his head. He pulled out shoes from his adidas bag, slipping them on his feet. "No, I walk around the streets with skates."

Harry grinned at him and pulled out his phone. Gemma had texted him, telling him how much she loved him. He shook his head, sending an emoji back. Across from him, Louis was typing furiously on his phone. Harry raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"Do you know if Liam's coming back to the rink? He's not answering me." The boy grumbled.

"He said he'd come by in the morning. I was supposed to lock up." Harry told him.

Louis groaned and laid his head down on the table. "Now I have to walk home."

The man let out a small laugh as he scrolled on his phone. He wasn't looking forward to staying home alone, Gemma was already gone enough. She was always gone for shoots and shows. Harry was already dreading fashion week, and it was nearly a year away. Maybe Louis would go home with him.

"Louis, are you going to be busy after you get home?" He asked.

The boy lifted his head up, his blue eyes staring at Harry's. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Harry grinned and clasped his hands together. "Wanna come back to mine and watch a movie? I was supposed to watch that movie you told me about with my sister, but we could get another movie. She decided to stay at a friend's house tonight, and quite honestly, I don't want to be home alone."

A chuckle came out of the boy's mouth as he stood up from the table. "Do you have Netflix? I was wanting to start another series, but there's never really enough time."

"Yeah, course!"

-

After the long walk back to Harry's flat, the two found themselves slouched on the sofa, a bag of chips, cans of soda on the table, and a pizza between the two. They stared at the screen, looking at the series on the television. It was about a girl who was trapped in a bunker for most of her life, and is trying to survive in New York City.

"You know what's sad?" Harry laughed to himself. "This show is like my life. Back in England, it was the bunker."

Louis snorted and grinned. "Did you have a reverend holding you back too?"

"Actually, yeah," He softly laughed, his smile turning into a frown. "My ex, as you could say. Kept me away from everyone, never allowed me to have time for myself, and always made decisions for me."

Louis' smile then dropped and he furrowed his eyebrows. "She sounds like a jerk. That wasn't an okay relationship. Is that why you left England?"

"Well, it wasn't necessarily why I left. Um, my ex broke up with me and I was mess. It's okay, I treated _him_ like he had treated me. Our relationship generally was a mess."

The smaller nodded and took a drink of his soda. He slouched back into the sofa and sighed. "Ever since I've taken skating seriously, I haven't really had time for a love life. It's hard to maintain a close relationship with someone, while always practicing and going off to competitions."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you can work it out. Both equal parts having patience."

Louis just shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch the show on the television. Harry wasn't going to pester on about the subject. It was hard for Harry to focus, since Louis was right next to him, not to mention it was becoming hard to stay awake. His eyes would flutter shut, and he would jerk himself back to reality.

Recently, it had been easier to fall asleep. The first few nights, he was forced to use the earplugs, but now his brain was beginning to block the sound out to sleep. Which was good, but now he was trying hard to stay awake for Louis.

"Hey," Louis said softly, shaking Harry. "You're missing the show."

Harry blinked a few seconds and sat up. "Sorry, I'm just so tired. I think waking up every morning is taking a toll on my body."

"We don't have to skate every morning, dork." The boy laughed. "I think you've gotten the hang of it by now. Liam barely knows how to skate, so you're doing better than him. Plus, I think we all need to sleep in."

He hummed and began to stretch out his arms. The man then reached over to grab his soda from the table. A little caffeine would help him stay awake for Louis, and for the show on the television, of course.

By the time the next episode finished, the two were passed out on the sofa with snores softly leaving their lips.

-

"Sorry, I accidentally fell asleep at Harry's."

Harry blinked his eyes open to the sound of Louis' groggy voice. He sat up from the sofa, and looked over to where Louis sat, looking out of the apartment's window. A yawn left his mouth, catching Louis' attention, to where the boy smiled at him and continued on the phone.

"I'll be by there later," Louis told them. "I just need some time to wake up a little bit."

Louis then told the other person on the line goodbye and hung up. He slouched back on the sofa, looking at the half eaten box of pizza between the two. Harry sat up from the sofa and grabbed the empty cans from the sofa and went to go throw them away. When he got back, Louis' eyes were shut and his lips were slightly parted.

"Are you going to go back to sleep?" Harry laughed softly.

The boy closed his lips and hummed. "I'm thinking about it. Your sofa is quite comfy."

"Thanks, Gem thought it would be a nice edition. I was all for sitting on the hardwood floors and getting chronic back pain." The man laughed. "Anyways, was that Liam wondering where you were?"

Louis nodded and opened his eyes. "Said he worried that I never came home last night, and that he missed calls from me. He probably thought I got kidnapped or something."

"Wouldn't it be _mannapped_ , since you are definitely over the age of eighteen?"

"Ugh, it's too early for your shitty jokes." He complained. "They're as bad as your ice jokes in the morning."

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned. "It's not my fault you're _cold._ "

Louis narrowed his eyes at the man and shook his head. "One more joke, Curly, and I'm gone. _One more joke_."


End file.
